Help first time brisket

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

bb980

Newbie
Original poster
May 19, 2013
21
10
Falls church Virginia
First time smoker here. I fell asleep around 4 am last night temp was 170. I woke up on the couch and checked my smoker. The fire was out and meat was at 160. I started a new chimney and dumped it in. It is roaring now. I don't want to make my guest sick. Will I be giving them food poisoning?
 
Like Bags said, you should be good. 40-140 is the danger zone and if you stay out of the zone for less than 4 hours everything will be OK.

I see this is your first post here so when you get a minute would you do us a favor and swing by "Roll Call" and introduce yourself so we can give you a proper SMF Welcome, Thanks!
 
This is my first brisket as well. 5 lb flat, put it on at 9 am and wrapped it when IT hit 170 and now here it is about an hour later and it is reading 198. Smoker ranged from 210 to 255. It shouldn't be done already if 1 1/2 hours per lb. what do y'all suggest?
 
Last edited:
This is my first brisket as well. 5 lb flat, put it on at 9 am and wrapped it when IT hit 170 and now here it is about an hour later and it is reading 198. Smoker ranged from 210 to 255. It shouldn't be done already if 1 1/2 hours per lb. what do y'all suggest?
If you're slicing this, you'll probably need an electric knife to get decent slices as it will be wicked, fall-apart tender. Hopefully this higher finished temp will not dry it out, but I would get it foil/towel wrapped and resting ASAP. Much more cooking and you'll be pulling it instead of slicing...in fact pulling may be your only option at this stage of the game.

Eric
 
This is my first brisket as well. 5 lb flat, put it on at 9 am and wrapped it when IT hit 170 and now here it is about an hour later and it is reading 198. Smoker ranged from 210 to 255. It shouldn't be done already if 1 1/2 hours per lb hat do y'all suggest?

VaYank
Don't go by time...especially with brisket. Just go by IT. And Eric has given good info. Get it off the heat now and let it rest for at least an hour it double foil and blanketed with something . Two hours even better. The rest is when the magic really happens for brisket. Pulled or sliced she should be nice. Best of luck.
 
If you're slicing this, you'll probably need an electric knife to get decent slices as it will be wicked, fall-apart tender. Hopefully this higher finished temp will not dry it out, but I would get it foil/towel wrapped and resting ASAP. Much more cooking and you'll be pulling it instead of slicing...in fact pulling may be your only option at this stage of the game.


Eric


VaYank
Don't go by time...especially with brisket. Just go by IT. And Eric has given good info. Get it off the heat now and let it rest for at least an hour it double foil and blanketed with something . Two hours even better. The rest is when the magic really happens for brisket. Pulled or sliced she should be nice. Best of luck.

Well, we'll see guys. When IT hit 200, I pulled it and blanketed it in a cooler. It has been resting for about an hour and a half now. Is it ok to let it rest until dinner time? Say another hour and a half or so? By the way, thank you for the advice!
 
Last edited:
Well, we'll see guys. When IT hit 200, I pulled it and blanketed it in a cooler. It has been resting for about an hour and a half now. Is it ok to let it rest until dinner time? Say another hour and a half or so?
Absolutely, I have held a brisket at temp for 4+ hours foiled wrapped in towels and in a cooler. just make sure the whole cooler is filled with towels.

Hope it is good eating and remember 
th_nopicsye3.gif
 
th_What_NO_QVIEW.gif


William
 
3 hours should still be pretty hot with that high of finished temp, as long as it's insulated fairly well. I've had them resting for over 4 hours with larger packers and was too hot to handle, while with individual flats they will cool a bit faster due to not having as much mass to hold the heat.

You could stick a probe into it when you get ready to process it just to be sure of internal temps...if above 135*,should be no issues at all regarding food safety, as 135* is the minimum recommended holding temp, per 2009 food code. Even if it falls below 135*, it's a matter of the time it was in the danger-zone before serving that really counts, and it probably won't be more than an hour or so, worst-case.

Let us know how it comes out. I'd be interested if you were able to slice or had to pull instead...200* is a pull-able temp for most anything I've smoked, providing it was a good pulling candidate (with a reasonable amount of inter-muscular fat and connective tissue). BTW, I have pulled brisket flat more than once already...pretty cool stuff...very long strands of meat, almost like spaghetti, only a larger diameter and full-length strands when hand-pulled vs shredded with tools.

Here's a mix of pulled point and pulled flat...the flat is longer strands while the point is more of a chunk form...all hand-pulled here:


Again, let us know how you made out...post some pics if you can, too!!!
biggrin.gif


Eric
 
Last edited:
3 hours should still be pretty hot with that high of finished temp, as long as it's insulated fairly well. I've had them resting for over 4 hours with larger packers and was too hot to handle, while with individual flats they will cool a bit faster due to not having as much mass to hold the heat.

You could stick a probe into it when you get ready to process it just to be sure of internal temps...if above 135*,should be no issues at all regarding food safety, as 135* is the minimum recommended holding temp, per 2009 food code. Even if it falls below 135*, it's a matter of the time it was in the danger-zone before serving that really counts, and it probably won't be more than an hour or so, worst-case.

Let us know how it comes out. I'd be interested if you were able to slice or had to pull instead...200* is a pull-able temp for most anything I've smoked, providing it was a good pulling candidate (with a reasonable amount of inter-muscular fat and connective tissue). BTW, I have pulled brisket flat more than once already...pretty cool stuff...very long strands of meat, almost like spaghetti, only a larger diameter and full-length strands when hand-pulled vs shredded with tools.

Here's a mix of pulled point and pulled flat...the flat is longer strands while the point is more of a chunk form...all hand-pulled here:


Again, let us know how you made out...post some pics if you can, too!!! :biggrin:


Eric

That high of a finished temp? Should I have pulled it off sooner?
 
3 hours should still be pretty hot with that high of finished temp, as long as it's insulated fairly well. I've had them resting for over 4 hours with larger packers and was too hot to handle, while with individual flats they will cool a bit faster due to not having as much mass to hold the heat.

You could stick a probe into it when you get ready to process it just to be sure of internal temps...if above 135*,should be no issues at all regarding food safety, as 135* is the minimum recommended holding temp, per 2009 food code. Even if it falls below 135*, it's a matter of the time it was in the danger-zone before serving that really counts, and it probably won't be more than an hour or so, worst-case.

Let us know how it comes out. I'd be interested if you were able to slice or had to pull instead...200* is a pull-able temp for most anything I've smoked, providing it was a good pulling candidate (with a reasonable amount of inter-muscular fat and connective tissue). BTW, I have pulled brisket flat more than once already...pretty cool stuff...very long strands of meat, almost like spaghetti, only a larger diameter and full-length strands when hand-pulled vs shredded with tools.

Here's a mix of pulled point and pulled flat...the flat is longer strands while the point is more of a chunk form...all hand-pulled here:


Again, let us know how you made out...post some pics if you can, too!!!
biggrin.gif



Eric
That high of a finished temp? Should I have pulled it off sooner?
I had to go back and look now, but this pulled brisket was actually finished in the lower 170* range to just under 180*. This was finished at a lower temp for freezing to reheat at an event in June. I wanted it finished at lower temps so that the reheat wouldn't turn it into a mushy. grainy texture by overcooking during the reheat. It does pull harder, and would have sliced pretty tender at these temps.

For slicing, yes, a lower temp, usually between 170 and 185*, depending on conditions and the meat itself, is common. Pulling can usually done with ease in the 195-205* range, again depending on conditions during cooking and the piece of meat. To slice a brisket when finished at 200* may be a difficult task, as it should be nearly falling apart at that temp. An electric knife will allow easier slicing of very tender meats because you don't have to force the blade into the meat...the knife slices without any real force at all. You may still have to slice fairly thick to attempt to prevent it form wanting to break apart during slicing, or when handling to serve.

If you can't slice it and pull it instead, don't sweat it. Pulled brisket tastes just the same as sliced, it's just a different style of eating. If pulling is the result, sandwiches are a great choice for serving. Even tender sliced brisket is commonly served as sandwiches, so you're definitely not out anything regarding the dining experience. Some long for pulled brisket flat...it's a pretty neat accomplishment to have those long strands of meat when it's pulled. Texture is great, too...I prefer pulled brisket over sliced, myself.

I can't discount the fact that burnt ends from the point muscle of a packer brisket are our #1 choice...if you want to try these on your next brisket smoke, PM me and we'll discuss your smoker and how to get the best BE's from your packer (panned to finish or double-smoked on open grates). I also can link to some of my previous BE smokes, or check my signature line when you get a chance, just to get some ideas...I have a few threads there you can look over. There are some tricks I learned over the years to get the best texture in my burnt ends, so I'm more than willing to share how I do mine to save others the trouble of trial and error. But, everyone has their own preferences, so my idea of the perfect burnt ends may vary from someone else, so I do recommend that you try a few different methods to find what you like.

Just some food for future thought there.

Eric
 
Yeah, that's the thing about the flat (center-cut). It has a lean interior, so is much more susceptible to drying out at higher finished temps. For slicing, keep it down to 180* or less. The fire going out and having to rebuild the coal-bed could have had some impact on the dryness as well...internal temp of the brisket would have taken a dive, then had to come back up to continue cooking, so it definitely didn't make for a desirable effect. Also, going into a bit more of the advanced methods here, but if you haven't experimented with smoke chamber humidity yet (water pans, dry thermal mass in the smoke chamber, etc), I can help you get some great results with not only brisket, but pork shoulder cuts for pulled pork.

What type of smoker are you using, BTW? Horizontal offset or vertical? I can work pout some details from that info to help you get your next brisket to turn out much better.

Eric
 
dont give up my first few briskets was dry or tough try using a packer if you can constent temps i figured if i csn learn how to smoke the toughest meat on a cow and make it better than a fine steak i want to know how to do it keep smoken
 
Yeah, that's the thing about the flat (center-cut). It has a lean interior, so is much more susceptible to drying out at higher finished temps. For slicing, keep it down to 180* or less. The fire going out and having to rebuild the coal-bed could have had some impact on the dryness as well...internal temp of the brisket would have taken a dive, then had to come back up to continue cooking, so it definitely didn't make for a desirable effect. Also, going into a bit more of the advanced methods here, but if you haven't experimented with smoke chamber humidity yet (water pans, dry thermal mass in the smoke chamber, etc), I can help you get some great results with not only brisket, but pork shoulder cuts for pulled pork.

What type of smoker are you using, BTW? Horizontal offset or vertical? I can work pout some details from that info to help you get your next brisket to turn out much better.


Eric

Just FYI, I sorta hijacked this thread. I was not the guy who's smoker went out in the middle of the night. I have a POS MF charcoal smoker, which I have modified following the Brinkman modifications found on this website. I put my 5 lb flat brisket straight on the grates in the smoker at 9 AM and by 1:00, IT was at 170, so I foiled it and added some apple juice and put it back in my smoker until IT reached 200.
 
Yeah, that's the thing about the flat (center-cut). It has a lean interior, so is much more susceptible to drying out at higher finished temps. For slicing, keep it down to 180* or less. The fire going out and having to rebuild the coal-bed could have had some impact on the dryness as well...internal temp of the brisket would have taken a dive, then had to come back up to continue cooking, so it definitely didn't make for a desirable effect. Also, going into a bit more of the advanced methods here, but if you haven't experimented with smoke chamber humidity yet (water pans, dry thermal mass in the smoke chamber, etc), I can help you get some great results with not only brisket, but pork shoulder cuts for pulled pork.

What type of smoker are you using, BTW? Horizontal offset or vertical? I can work pout some details from that info to help you get your next brisket to turn out much better.


Eric
Just FYI, I sorta hijacked this thread. I was not the guy who's smoker went out in the middle of the night. I have a POS MF charcoal smoker, which I have modified following the Brinkman modifications found on this website. I put my 5 lb flat brisket straight on the grates in the smoker at 9 AM and by 1:00, IT was at 170, so I foiled it and added some apple juice and put it back in my smoker until IT reached 200.
Ah, I missed that...been bouncing around a lot today, so keeping track hasn't been my strong-point. 200* will definitely get 'em dry, though. I have a Gourmet as well, heavily modified...one of my more enjoyable and challenging toys to play with. I don't add acid ingredients to foil very often, except occasionally with pork ribs..generally foil it up dry and let it sweat on it's own...added acids might have some effect on drying as well...dunno for sure.

I'll shoot you a PM when I get a chance with some links to methods which you may find very helpful for juicy and tender brisket...simple methods which will fool you, because they do just the opposite of what you would think would happen.

Eric
 
  • Like
Reactions: vayank5150
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky